Parkland College Art and Design Student Artwork Showcase 2021

Showcase Awards Ceremony, Thursday, May 6

Parkland College's annual celebration of artwork produced by students in the Art and Design program, the Art and Design Student Artwork Showcase 2021, is currently underway.

A virtual Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. At the event, which is free and open to the public, Art and Design faculty will recognize and honor students whose artwork shows remarkable distinction with artistic, monetary, and merit awards, including scholarships.

In addition, artwork from the exhibit is being featured across Giertz Gallery's social media pages and in weekly emails. A catalog of presented works will be available on the Giertz Gallery page after the event, which concludes on May 29.

Included in this year's special online event will be an impressive body of student work from classes in photography, painting, drawing, metals, sculpture, three-dimensional and two-dimensional design, color theory, visual communication design, and ceramics. Students taking art classes in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2020, were eligible to submit artwork.

Parkland Art and Design faculty, including program director Denise Seif, look forward to celebrating students and their work each spring.

"This year, our show honors the drive, ingenuity, and hard work of the students who have continued to pursue their artistic and educational goals under these unusual circumstances," says Seif. "It demonstrates the excellence, resilience, and commitment our students have to their art. Bravo!"

Students planning on a profession in the arts begin their career path at Parkland, and the student exhibit allows them to showcase their development from what they have learned in the Art and Design program, according to gallery director Lisa Costello.

"It introduces them to professional practices they will encounter in the field, such as working with a gallery, preparing their work for exhibition, and entering their work into shows. All of these things are essential for an emerging artist," she said.

"This is a necessary component for establishing themselves as practicing artists once they graduate or transfer. Now that so many things are online, the practice of photographing their work and submitting it online is even more critical for their success."

Register for the Awards Ceremony here. Follow the Giertz Gallery Facebook and Instagram pages to see more student artwork, or sign up for their mailing list.

For more information on the student showcase or other programming, please email giertzgallery@parkland.edu.
 
The Giertz Gallery's programs are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.